Mood Lifters for college athletes: a biopsychosocial approach to improving mental health for student-athletes.

Abstract

Objective: Mood Lifters, a biopsychosocial mental wellness program, has been shown to improve mental health in adults and senior citizens. This study examines the efficacy of the adaptation of the original program, hypothesizing that the Mood Lifters - Athlete version would improve collegiate athletes' anxiety and depression. Participants: Participants included fifty-two student-athletes recruited through The Invisible Opponent, an organization focused on student-athlete mental health awareness, and directly through an R1 University Athletic Department. Methods: Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVAs) was conducted to evaluate the change in self-reported assessments of well-being at the start and end of the intervention. Results: Mood Lifters significantly improved participants' depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. Conclusion: Student-athletes showed improvements in mental well-being across several measures. The findings should be replicated in a larger trial with a more diverse sample to fully understand the impact of Mood Lifters.